Anita Lopez, at the Lucas County Auditors Office wants to let you know about several of their programs designed to serve and help Lucas County residents by “taking the burden of our property tax system off the taxpayers”. 

The Lucas County Auditor’s office works hard to be ”accessible, transparent, and citizen friendly”. 

The City of Toledo offers a local government that works for the citizens, and treats citizens with extraordinary customer service.   

See Video About Their Outreach Programs: 
Click > http://www.renetron.com/borvideo.wmv

Or visit the auditor web site to learn how to appeal your tax valuation:
Click > http://www.co.lucas.oh.us/default.asp?RequestedAlias=Auditor

Toledo Real Estate Channel - HomeFinder Channel 100 - is starting to produce success stories!

Mary Ann Mills, at RE/MAX Masters had a seller comment recently as follows:

The question was - how does HomeFinder Channel 100 compare to other advertising your agent has done to sell your home?

Answer:  People did not call to tell me they had seen my house when it was advertised on web sites, or in print.  But after it appeard on HomeFinder Channel 100 - lots of friends, neighbors, and co-workers called to say they had seem our house on TV - and that IT LOOKED GREAT! 

Mary Ann Mills, who is president of Toledo REIA -  Toledo Real Estate Investors Association, as well as President of the Women’s Council of Realtors tells us that she sees a definite increase in calls and showings when she advertises a home on HomeFinder Channel 100!

OK - They don’t call it Crosby Gardens any longer…  But the art show at Toledo Botanical Gardens was a success in spite of the weather!

Other events at Toledo Botanical Gardens this Summer Include:

Jazz in the Garden - 2008 Season
Join us Thursdays at 6:30 for Jazz in the Garden at Toledo Botanical Garden, sponsored by Buckeye CableSystem.

• July 10 - Toledo Jazz Orchestra featuring vocalist Nate Gurley
• July 24 - Ramona Collins, local jazz diva extraordinaire
• July 31 - Paul Vornhagen, Latin jazz group
• August 7 - Mark Keiswetter, Local piano hero
• August 14 - Lisa Lynn, Toledo vocalist
• August 21 - Hepcat Revival, a Garden favorite

Toledo’s Annual 4th of July Celebration
Weekend – July 4-5
Sample Toledo’s best cuisine, listen to the areas best bands and be amazed by the largest fireworks display Toledo has ever seen! Red, White & KABOOM featuring the Northwest Ohio Restaurant Association’s Taste Toledo and the Toledo Blade’s Battle of the Bands is the premier spot for the Fourth of July weekend. The two-day event takes place in Toledo’s Promenade Park and opens at 11:30 AM both Friday and Saturday, with fireworks on July 4th only. And don’t forget to stop by the Buckeye CableSystem booth to say hello.

Sylvnia Ohio offers a wonderful Evening with Music, Food, and Fireworks at Centennial Quarry on July 3rd.  Park at Mayberry Village and set up your lawn chair… or go on in to Centennial Terrace for a better view!  Imagine that.  Sit Down Dinner and Arrive Early if you want a seat at a table!

The Box Shoppe at Southwyck Mall is closing for good.

They have boxes (gift, padded envelopes, jewelry boxes, moving boxes) all 50% off.

Home Buyers or Sellers might want to get some boxes at these prices.

Realtors or mortgage lenders may consider them as client gifts

Why is Television so Powerful?  Here is a possible answer. 

More people watch television than participate in any other media.

People spend more time watching Television than the amount of time spent with any other media.

##############  From Nielson ################

AVERAGE HOME GETS 118.6 CHANNELS

An updated report from Nielsen for 2007 finds the average
American home now gets 118.6 television channels, but watches
only a small portion of them.

The numbers show that 58% of U.S. TV homes now
receive 100 or more channels, with another 26% getting
between 60 and 99. Nielsen found the average home
receives 17 broadcast stations, with 44% getting 19 or
more stations.

As the average number of channels available grows,
so too does the number of channels a home will watch

…

Total viewing among all households was 31 hours and
55 minutes a week; in African-American homes it was
an average of 45 hours and 22 minutes, but in Hispanic
households it was just 27 hours and 13 minutes.

Some other relevant facts from the study are that the
average U.S. TV household has 2.5 people and 2.8 TV
sets. 31% of homes have digital cable; 61% of homes
have a wired cable hookup (which is down from a high of
68% reached in 2000), while 27% have satellite or a
specialized antenna system to get their signals, up from
19% in 2005. 82% of homes have more than one TV,
which could be a big factor in next year’s switchover to
digital. 87% of homes have a DVD player; 79% have a
VCR. Nielsen did not break out a number for DVRs.

Toledo Realtors can now use our HELP DESK for support when using our Dual Platform - Triple Play program.

HomeFinder Channel 100 is used to market toledo homes for sale on TV and Online through one simple program.

See www.HomeFinder100.com/helpdesk/

Greater Toledo Real Estate Agents and Brokers are to be thanked for your support and patience during the early months as we continue to develop HomeFinder Channel 100 and www.HomeFinder100.com.
 
We are working hard to do something that has never been done before, anywhere in the USA.  The triple play real estate marketing platform uses very sophisticated technology to make online marketing easy for Realtors, and to make TV advertising affordable. 

In coming weeks and months we will continue to work to add features and make the HomeFinder Channel 100 services better and easier to use.
 
The good news is that Toledo Real Estate Success Stories are now starting to come in!

The 24-hour Greater Toledo Real Estate Channel is being very well received by the public.  Real estate on TV has never before been so available, around the clock AND on VOD.  Many have told us they can’t stop watching it!  There are many VERY POSITIVE ads and buyer or seller tips to help promote confidence in the market.  Viewers are frequently urged to CALL A REALTOR for help because we know that in a market like this, professional help brings higher prices for sellers.  This is true now more than ever.

The Toledo Real Estate Search Site at www.homefinder100.com shows every Toledo Home for Sale by every participating agent and broker.  Homes for sale by Greater Toledo Real Estate Agents and Brokers are featured online.  Broker Logos are free for EVERY LISTING!  Agent photos, contact information, and TV Ads are all available as bundled upgrades.  But even the free online listings are drawing good traffic. 

Many great comments have been received about how the search features are easier to use and more complete than on other sites. 

Now we are doing even more advertising for our participating toledo real estate agents and toledo home sellers or buyers!  The marketing that drives viewers and visitors to the show and the web site, where they see toledo homes for sale with Realtor information and Broker logos, now includes:

- 500 Cable TV ads per week
- Large Blade ads
- Page one search engine placement at google
- Ten thousands of dollars of radio ads in the month of June
- more : ) 

Toledo Real Estate Agents are starting to share success stories.  Some agents who share are getting free ads to help them promote the fact that they place homes on TV.  Free publicity can’t hurt!. 
 
Several agents have told us they clearly see increased showings for the listings they sponsor in the program as compared to those that are not sponsored.  Some are also telling us that sellers choose them over other agents, event at higher commission rates, simply because they offer TV marketing when others do not.  Sellers understand that more marketing means more showings, and more showings means better offers, faster! 

Agents are reporting receiving buyer calls or email leads, and have told us about buyer clients who say they first saw the home on one of the TV shows. 

In this market, these are stories that need to be told! 

Toledo Real Estate Buyers, Sellers, and professionals who serve them need help to maintain morale and enthusiasm as well as buyer and seller confidence. 

Brokers:  Your agents and company could benefit if you share a success story!  Ads and stories will be shared in high frequency campaign over many Cable Channels and on our web site.  The idea is to feature the agent sharing about how the program has helped them win listings, satisfy sellers demand for marketing, and get more showings.  Buyers or sellers are also commenting on how much they like watching Real Estate on TV.  All articles or stories or ads feature agent photo or video, and a broker logo. 

Please let us know if you have a success story to share, as an agent, broker, buyer, or seller.      
 

Toledo Real Estate Brokers are invited to schedule a meeting to discuss progress to date and preview new features about to be added to our service.  This might take about 15 minutes.  Just let me know when your team meets and we will bring you up to date and take your suggestions!
 

www.HomeFinder100.com

Toledo Real Estate Agents are reporting getting more listings, more buyer calls, and more showings from the homes they sponsored at HomeFinder Channel 100. 

This is a taste of good things to come with HomeFinder Channel 100! 

Participating Agents have an advantage in the listing presentation. 

See TV Ads and Videos at www.HomeFinder100.com/video.html

Toledo Real Estate - Online Marketing - New Real Estate Site goes through the roof on page views!

The new toledo homes for sale search site at www.HomeFinder100.com is barely a week old, but the page views are already over 250,000 ! 

Thank you Toledo for the warm reception to our Real Estate Channel and Web Site!